Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States established the national prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Ratified in 1919, the amendment forbade people to make, sell, or transport liquor. It was repealed with the passage of the 21st Amendment in 1933.
The amendment was set forth in three sections.
Section 1 states, “After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.”
Section 2 states, “The Congress and the several states shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.”
Section 3 states, “This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several states, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the Congress.”
The 18th Amendment was proposed on Dec. 18, 1917, and ratified on Jan. 16, 1919. The progressive and temperance movements supported the amendment as an important social reform. The temperance movement in particular was dedicated to ending the use of alcoholic beverages. In October 1919, Congress adopted the Volstead Act. This law provided for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment. It defined intoxicating liquors as those containing at least 0.5 percent alcohol.
The 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920 with widespread political support. Many people ignored the law, however, and continued to drink illegal beverages supplied by producers known as bootleggers. Over time, it became clear that neither federal agents nor state and local officials could stop the widespread violation of national prohibition. The 18th amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. It is the only amendment to the U.S. Constitution that has ever been repealed.
